Nena Erb, ACE has edited everything from Insecure to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, to last year’s Blockbuster event, Joy Ride. She returned to SBC to give additional insights about her Emmy-winning career. Check out the Q&A below!
SBC: Is Avid Media Composer still the industry software standard and why?
Nena: Yes, it still is. This is the tool that editors have used for decades. They have the market saturation and brand loyalty, not to mention they’re incredible supportive of the post production community. The developments that they’ve made allowed for larger teams of editors to collaborate with ease and tech support is readily available which is important.
SBC: How many edits do you have to do for a scene before it gets finalized?
Nena: As many or as few as it takes. Sometimes a scene can be shot in a oner or you could have a great performance that’s so powerful you don’t want or need to cut away very often. Other times, more editing is involved so it’s more about knowing when or where to cut rather than knowing how many edits it takes to finish a scene.
SBC: In our first Q&A, you mentioned that what draws you to projects are the stories and the creatives involved. Do you still feel this way?
Nena: I absolutely still feel this way. We spend so much time at work, it’s important to pick projects with stories that resonate with us. The creatives involved are also important. I’ve been very lucky to have worked with some wonderful filmmakers. People who inspire creativity and allow you to create without fear. They appreciate it when I take big swings, even if I fall flat on my face because it’s about the effort. It’s through trial and experimentation that you come up with something unique and engaging. I read somewhere that working in a toxic environment triggers your lizard brain. Your lizard brain causes you to make decisions out of fear. When that happens, the end result is never stellar.
SBC: What is the best way to edit without giving away the story?
Nena: Editing is about storytelling so I don’t think it’s about not giving away the story but more about how you’re going to tell the story. A good story teller understands how to pull someone in, how to set up the background, how and when to introduce the character so the audience knows who the protagonists and antagonists are. Picking performances that allow the audience to connect with your characters so that when the story unfolds, the emotion lands.
SBC: What are key differences between editing for film versus television?
Nena: With a film you have 10 weeks to work with a director which means a lot more time for experimentation. In television, it’s 2 to 4 day depending on whether it’s a half hour or an hour episode. In features, the director is typically involved until the end where as in television, the director comes in, does their cut and then leaves. They don’t typically go to the mix or sit through VFX reviews.
For the editor, it’s nice to focus on one story when you’re on a feature. When you’re on a series, you often have multiple episodes open with each in different phases meaning you might be in studio cut on one episode, producers cut on another, another in director’s cut or in editor’s cut. It’s a lot of mental gymnastics to keep everything straight as you bounce back and forth from episode to episode. The benefit of being on a TV series is the ability to be able to step away from or to another episode. The time away allows you to return with fresh eyes. You don’t have that luxury with features so it helps to come up with your own tricks to be able to look at the movie with fresh eyes. At the end of the day it’s still about story and it doesn’t matter what format or length it is. The editor’s job is to tell an engaging story.
SBC: How did Joy Ride show up in your life?
Nena: My agents talked to me about the film and I had originally said no. The only thing I knew was that it was a comedy, I hadn’t read the script, didn’t really know much about the filmmakers, but I said no because I was looking for a drama. Fast forward to a couple of months later, my agent came back and said the producers would like you to read the script. No pressure, just read it and then we’ll decide if we want to move forward or not. Of course, I read it and fell in love with the characters and the story so there was no question, I had to meet for it. After I had my interview, I found out Lee Eisenberg, a producer I worked with on Little America gave producers at Point Grey my name so I have him to thank for bringing this back around.
SBC: What is the best thing about Joy Ride’s release and why?
Nena: This movie pushes the boundaries and shows Asian characters as individuals, not the stereotypes that we’re so used to seeing. We’re usually portrayed in TV and movies as the foreign exchange student, the straight A student, owner of a dry cleaner, etc usually with heavy accents and often as the butt of the joke. When this film was released, it showed everyone that that we are so much more than that. We can be bold, funny, and just as raunchy and dirty as anybody.
SBC: What most attracted you to the film?
Nena: Without a doubt, it’s the characters. They’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen on the big screen or in TV. I don’t normally get to work on material where I see myself represented so that was definitely a huge reason. This is a movie that I would’ve loved to have seen when I was younger.
SBC: Which of your projects do you get asked about the most?
Nena: Insecure and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend are the two projects I’m asked about most. Both of those series were unique in their portrayal of women, how they told the story, and both were visually interesting. Because of all of those things, they have a loyal following.
For more information, visit Erb’s official website.